IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD

An image processing apparatus that estimates a vector representing a relative positional relationship between parts of a subject using machine learning is disclosed. The image processing apparatus, using a convolutional neural network (CNN), detects, from an image, a first part and a second part of a specific subject, and a relative position vector from the first part to the second part. The CNN is configured to generate a feature map indicating an approximate direction of the relative position vector. The image processing apparatus trains the CNN using a loss function pertaining to the relative position vector and a loss function pertaining to the feature map.